Walks with Apollo

Pumpkin had lots of fun frolicking in the grass with his puppy pal Apollo. He doesn't always walk in the direction you were planning to go, but he has lots of fun exploring.

Kitten Ambassador

We brought home a new foster dog last night (his name is Tok) and we wanted to see how he would do with kitties. Pumpkin is an obvious choice for a dog introduction because he LOVES dogs. I went to grab him from the kitten playroom and Pumpkin was ever so excited to meet his new best friend! Unfortunately, poor Tok was scared of our teeny tiny little Pumpkin!



Pumpkin didn't take it too hard though. He purred in my lap and played with our other pups.

Tonight Pumpkin won over Tok and showed him that kittens are nothing to fear. They are just fluffy balls of love. Thanks to Pumpkin, Tok is cat ready and feeling right at home.

Adventures at Petsmart

Pumpkin knows how to do adoption events! He can be found at adoption events almost every weekend hanging with the adoptable dogs. He is normally in a cat sling with me and or at the adoption table on leash congratulating the lucky families on their new pup. We tease that he is our kitten mascot and is more like a dog than a cat. 

He is ridiculously adorable and loves his adventures at Petsmart. Come out and meet him next weekend if you need some cheering up!

Playtime!

Pumpkin loves to play! He especially loves feathers and bells so his teaser is one of his favorite toys. He starts off gently batting at the feathers...

And then... then he grabs it! "Look! I got it mom!"

Pumpkin does the best backflips when he plays. Watch him in action!

Pumpkin's First Adoption Event

Pumpkin went to his first adoption event today! He can't go to the cat adoption events with the other kitties since FeLV can be spread between cats through saliva. Thankfully, FeLV is NOT contagious to dogs or people (just cats!) and the virus is easily killed with disinfectant. So Pumpkin can come to the dog adoption events with his puppy pals!

Pumpkin spent most of the day hanging out with me in my pet sling, but he also enjoyed strutting around on his leash! I mean, how cute is he?!

The leash also doubles as a toy in a pinch....

And after a long day at the event, it was time to go home. So away we went for a car ride.

And then our little champ passed out because being cute is hard work. :)

New Cube

Somebody loves their new cube! Pumpkin has been tumbling around in his cube toy like it's a hamster ball and now it's time to take a little cat nap...

The Ride Home

I was so excited to get my little Pumpkin back from the vet! Pumpkin was happy to see me too! He purred and nuzzled me all over my face. I had him in the carrier in the passenger seat next to me and he started to cry at me to let him out. Soooo... into my lap he went...

And then he decided to watch out the window... He saw the dogs doing it and thought it would be fun. It was!

But he preferred to watch out the window from a perch... He found one behind me. What a goofy boy we have!

Pumpkin's Journey to Rescue

It was early July in a crowded shelter when I first met Pumpkin. He was a scared little ball of fluff huddled in the back of a cage. Weighing in at a whopping one pound, this insecure boy hissed at everyone who approached the cage and cowered with fear. He swatted at me as I picked him up and started to shake in my arms. He was your typical terrified feral kitten, but I knew Pumpkin and his brother Pickles just had to come home with me. Soon he would be a loving little guy snuggling and purring in my bathroom...

And so it was, Pumpkin and Pickles settled into our master bathroom to learn all about people and start their deferalization education. They were fast learners and soon they purred and cooed and cuddled. They were fabulous little kittens and they became my happy boys. They loved playing with our dogs and I was so proud of their progress. I loved them so much.

It wasn't long before I brought home another family of kittens in need. The boys joined Momma Nova and her babies (The Guardians of the Galaxy kittens!) in the kitten room to learn all about playing with toys and making kitten friends. The boys blossomed and socialized beautifully. They grew into chubby two pound kittens... and you know what that means... Spay and neuter time for the kitten pride! 

All of the kittens were ready to go, except for our poor little Pumpkin... He tested faintly positive for Feline Leukemia (FeLV). I was heartbroken. Pumpkin had to be separated from the other kittens and would need to be retested in another month and again when he was six months old to confirm the results. There is still a twenty percent chance that Pumpkin's result was a false positive. I like to say that it's a one in five chance because it feels better to think about it that way for me. There's a one in five chance that Pumpkin is a normal kitten.

Until we know for sure, we are treating Pumpkin as if he was FeLV positive. After talking with vets and researching FeLV, I've found that it's not as scary as one might initially think. It's not great, but it's not the end of the world. Pumpkin is happy, healthy, and full of life. He is showing no symptoms, and may never show any symptoms of the virus. 

FeLV is a retrovirus that may lower the immune system or cause illness later in life (examples include general ill feelings like fever, loss of appetite, or weight loss). Most kittens get the virus from their mother. However, it is possible to spread it through saliva or other fluids, such as sharing food and water bowls. Because of this, FeLV cats are not generally recommended to live with non-FeLV cats in case of spread, but can live in harmony with other FeLV cats. FeLV is species specific and can NOT be transmitted to humans or dogs, only cats are affected. 

Many cats live full happy lives with FeLV and never show any signs; cats with FeLV have slightly increased chances of developing infections so it is especially important that they see their vet for yearly check ups. Unfortunately, FeLV tends to hit kittens the hardest and they rarely live longer than 2-3 years old.

To learn more about FeLV and common misconceptions about these awesome cats click here.

So Pumpkin hasn't been dealt the best hand in life, but he doesn't know it and he is a happy little dude.  We are still hoping that he's that one in five kittens who had a false positive, but if he's not, then it's okay. We are still going to keep looking for his forever home. I know that there is someone out there who is special enough for our Pumpkin because even short lives are worth living and living well.